Veneer panels have been developed as a quick and efficient way to provide a masonry appearance for a building while simplifying construction and lowering construction costs. Such panels typically include a substrate having a series of discrete design or masonry elements attached thereto. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,740,910, 6,516,578, and 6,990,778, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In such panel constructions, discrete thin bricks are manufactured, then attached to a substrate (such as fiberboard, foam or steel), the assembly then being attached to a wall. These design elements simulate brick, stone, tile and other masonry building components or materials commonly used in the construction of buildings. These panels are relatively expensive to manufacture, as one must first make the veneer product and the substrate, then utilize labor to attach the veneer to the substrate, then attaching the assembly to the structure. Additionally, some such products have potential issues with the attachment system and the finished appearance.
Examples of cast veneer wall panels are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,187 (Arcari) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,719 (Salazar), which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Arcari '187 utilizes a matched mold wherein a first pour is required to get ½ of the veneer thickness; whereafter a mesh is placed on the first pour; and a matched mold is then laid over the mesh, while a second pour creates the back half of the veneer. This creates a lot of manufacturing complexity and does not achieve acceptable product properties. Salazar '719 creates a panel using a continuous fiber reinforced base and an unreinforced veneer attached to the base. Like the previously mentioned processes, this creates manufacturing complexity and waste, plus does not achieve the desired properties for the veneer panel.
Another simulated veneer panel is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,279, which creates a polymer panel to simulate a veneer texture. These products are typically unattractive in appearance and do not have the properties desired in a veneer product. Cast veneer wall panels are typically made from reinforced construction materials such as fiberglass reinforced concrete.
Monolithic cast veneer wall panels made from such reinforced materials have been produced which are more resistant to damage from handling during packaging, shipping and installation. Such designs suffer from the cost, weight and aesthetics being typically unacceptable. Further improvements in durability to reduce loss due to breakage are still desired. As noted above, prior panels particularly fail to closely resemble real brick or stone veneer. The present invention relates to a cast veneer wall panel of enhanced durability providing significantly improved handling characteristics due to light weight construction and ability to fasten by nailing, and which has an appearance closely resembling real brick or stone veneer.